Parliament probes use of ZINARA funds

PARLIAMENT has intensified scrutiny of road infrastructure spending, with the Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development conducting field inspections to verify how local authorities are using funds and fuel allocated through the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).

Committee chairperson and Gokwe South Member of Parliament Tawanda Karikoga said Parliament needed to establish whether resources allocated for road development were translating into tangible infrastructure improvements for communities.

"We are conducting these field verification visits as part of our oversight mandate, particularly to establish how ZINARA funds are being utilised by local authorities and whether the resources are producing the intended results," Karikoga said.

He said the committee was also examining the allocation and utilisation of fuel provided to councils, given the critical role it plays in operating machinery used for road maintenance.

"We are looking at the fuel that has been allocated to local authorities, how that fuel is being utilised and whether it is actually going towards road maintenance and related infrastructure development," Karikoga said.

Karikoga said Parliament wanted to compare resources allocated to councils with the work being undertaken on the ground and determine whether communities were receiving value from public expenditure.

"We want to verify what is happening on the ground. We need to see the roads that are being maintained, establish the progress that has been made and understand whether the funds and fuel allocated are being used for the purposes for which they were intended," he said.

The committee is also engaging local authority officials to identify challenges affecting the implementation of road infrastructure programmes.

These include potential shortages of equipment, inadequate funding, fuel constraints, procurement challenges and other operational difficulties.

Karikoga said identifying such challenges was equally important because Parliament's oversight role was not limited to identifying shortcomings, but also finding ways of improving implementation.

"We are also here to listen to the local authority and understand the challenges they are facing in implementing their road programmes.

"Where there are genuine challenges, our responsibility is to bring those issues to the attention of the relevant authorities and ensure that appropriate interventions are considered," he said.

The findings from the verification exercise will assist Parliament in assessing the effectiveness of current mechanisms for allocating and monitoring ZINARA funds and fuel provided to local authorities, Karikoga said.

The scrutiny comes as road infrastructure remains central to economic activity, particularly in rural areas where roads provide access to markets, health facilities, schools and other essential services.

The field inspections are expected to give lawmakers a clearer picture of how public resources are being converted into road projects and whether the current funding and monitoring systems are delivering the intended benefits to communities.